Two firsts in one night. India became the first men’s team to defend the T20 World Cup and the first side to win the trophy on home soil, completing their historic double with a 96-run destruction of New Zealand in front of a capacity crowd. It was a night that cricket historians will be writing about for decades.
India’s batting in this tournament has been consistently breathtaking, and the final was no exception. They matched the World Cup record for the highest powerplay score — 92 for no loss in six overs — and accelerated from there. Sharma, Samson, and Kishan all made fifties in an innings that seemed to be heading toward 300 before a mid-innings wobble settled proceedings at 255.
New Zealand’s bowling was not capable of containing India’s top order on a night when everything was clicking. Duffy went for 15 in his first over back in the tournament after being absent since the group stage. Ferguson and Henry both bowled multiple wides and conceded large totals. Even Ravindra, who picked up two wickets, was expensive in patches.
The chase was a formality. India’s bowlers were precise, their fielding energetic despite dropping two catches, and Bumrah was as good as he has ever been. Three wickets for the right-arm fast bowler, all taken with his signature slow yorker, left New Zealand reeling and resulted in the Man of the Match award. New Zealand were dismissed for 159, 96 short of their target.
India’s achievement is remarkable by any measure. They scored 250-plus three times in the tournament, defended a World Cup title for the first time in men’s cricket history, and did it all at home. This team will be remembered as one of the greatest T20 squads ever assembled.